The Enneagram isn’t a personality system. It is a map for transformation.
Each of the nine types has a unique view of the world and this filter determines what you pay attention to, how you direct your energy, and ultimately how you tend to show up.Discover your patterns and learn rituals to work with them, not against them.
What is the Enneagram?
The Enneagram (from Greek ennea = nine, gram = drawing) is a dynamic system that reveals nine core strategies for navigating life. Unlike personality tests that box you in, it exposes the why behind your actions, your deepest fears, desires, and unconscious motivations.
Your type is formed early, does not change throughout your lifetime, but is adaptable in its expression. It’s the lens through which you see, and sometimes limit your world.
Whether you’re here after a typing interview or are brand new to the system, this page will give you a high-level view of all nine types and direct you to deeper explorations, rituals, and coaching insights tailored to your type.
The Nine Types at a Glance
Each type’s name reflects its core longing.
Type One - The Integrity Keeper
Type Ones are principled, purposeful, and driven by a deep desire to improve the world around them. They fear being wrong or corrupt and strive to be good, ethical, and right. Ones tend to be rational and idealistic types. They can be principled, purposeful, self-controlled, and perfectionistic. "I must live rightly and fix what’s broken."
Serious and straightforward during conversations
Attuned to practicality and frugality
Hardworking and diligent as employees and partners
Holds uncompromising personal standards
Rigidity in plans and decisions
Intense ability to concentrate
Natural talent for teaching and instructing
Center of Intelligence: Body/Gut
Core Fear: Being bad, wrong, corrupt, or unethical
Core Motivation: To be good, right, ethical, and above reproach
Growth Path: Softening self-criticism → embracing "good enough"
Type Two - The Love Seeker
Type Twos are empathetic, people-focused, and often put others' needs ahead of their own. Their fear of being unwanted drives them to become indispensable through love and service. Twos tend to be caring and interpersonal types. They can be empathetic, generous, people-pleasing, and possessive. "I’m loved when I’m needed."
Disarms with warmth, smiles, hugs
Notices needs before they’re spoken
Binds communities together through invisible acts of care
Gives more than they receive
Nurturing and patient
Struggles to want without guilt
Heals through touch—whether physical, emotional, or baked into cookies
Center of Intelligence: Heart/Feeling
Core Fear: Being unworthy of connection, unwanted, or unloved
Core Motivation: To feel loved and be needed
Growth Path: From overgiving → mutual relationships
Type Three - The Ideal Achiever
Type Threes are ambitious, adaptable, and image-conscious. They are driven by the need to be valuable and fear being worthless or a failure. Threes tend to be success-oriented, pragmatic types. They can be adaptive, excelling, driven, and image-conscious. "I matter when I succeed.""
Masters personal branding with intuitive social radar
Measures self-worth through accomplishments and accolades
Competes quietly with invisible scorecards
Projects polished first impressions effortlessly
Hustles for external validation while sidelining inner truth
Confuses being valued with being valuable
Warm, encouraging, and sees potential in people
Center of Intelligence: Heart/Feeling
Core Fear: Being worthless, mediocre, or a failure
Core Motivation: To feel valuable, admired, and successful
Growth Path: Slowly trading image → authentic worth
Type Four - The Depth Seeker
Type Fours are deeply feeling, introspective, and authentic. Fours guard their inner world against anything that might dilute their true sense of self. Their deepest fear isn't simply being ordinary, but having their identity contaminated by external influences. Fours tend to be romantic and withdrawn types. They can be expressive, self-reflective, and dramatic. "I must be uniquely me—or I’ll disappear."
Cultivates a signature aesthetic (in style, speech, or space)
Feel deeply the depth and beauty in life
Charm lies in their contradictions—both fragile and fierce, whimsical and wise
Guards their "true self" fiercely yet constantly refines it
Feels an inner absence they can’t name
Longs for deep connection, yet tests closeness by pulling close then retreating—fearing abandonment once truly seen.
Center of Intelligence: Heart/Feeling
Core Fear: Having their essence diluted by outside influences
Core Motivation: To be fully seen and loved as their authentic self.
Growth Path: Specialness as burden → Sacred service as freedom
Type Five - The Wisdom Collector
Type Fives are cerebral, private, and seek knowledge to feel safe. They fear being depleted or intruded upon, so they carefully ration their energy and engagement. Fives tend to be self-contained, logical types. They can be perceptive, innovative, secretive, and isolated. "The world demands too much—I’ll master it observing from a distance."
Appears lost in thought or withdrawn
Secretive with difficult-to-crack and rich inner world
Archives esoteric knowledge, building private intellectual arsenals
Gives insightful, well thought out responses
Thinks extensively before speaking
Clear boundaries between family, friends, and work
Extremely independent often finding safety in self-sufficiency
Center of Intelligence: Head/Thinking
Core Fear: Being helpless, overwhelmed, or incapable
Core Motivation: To be capable, knowledgeable, and competent
Growth Path: From isolation → engaged shared wisdom
Type Six - The Loyal Guardian
Type Sixes are committed, security-oriented, and deeply loyal to people and causes they trust. Their underlying fear of being unsafe/unsupported drives them to anticipate risks and prepare for the worst. Sixes tend to be responsible, skeptical, and hardworking types. They can be loyal, reliable, anxious, and cautious. "If I can predict the danger, I’ll be ready for it."
Quick to sense threats others overlook
Detail-oriented and precise
Strong identification with chosen communities or mentors
Lives between trust and doubt—testing loyalty often
Balances courage with caution, can swinging between extremes
Finds comfort in clear rules, roles, or authority
Protective of loved ones and well-liked team player
Center of Intelligence: Head/Thinking
Core Fear: Being without support, guidance, or safety
Core Motivation: To find security and certainty in a world that feels unpredictable
Growth Path: From skepticism → trusting inner guidance
Type Seven - The Joyful Enthusiast
Type Sevens are energetic, imaginative, and future-focused, chasing experiences to avoid pain or limitation. They fear being trapped in deprivation or emotional suffering, so they fill their lives with variety, options, and stimulation. Sevens tend to be spontaneous, optimistic, and innovative types. They can be fun-loving, scattered, adventurous, and restless. "If I keep moving forward, nothing can trap me."
Lights up rooms with playful energy, optimism, and curiosity
Collects hobbies, adventures, and possibilities like treasures
Escapes discomfort by reframing problems into opportunities
Has a mind that jumps ahead—connecting dots others miss
Easily distracted by “shiny new” ideas, yet rarely bored
Fears being pinned down by commitments or emotions
Inspires others to dream bigger and live fully
Center of Intelligence: Head/Thinking
Core Fear: Being trapped in pain, deprivation, or limitation
Core Motivation: To stay free, happy, and fulfilled with possibilities
Growth Path: From escape through stimulation → presence with contentment
Type Eight - The Protective Challenger
Type Eights are assertive, powerful, and protective, moving through life with intensity. Beneath their bold exterior lies a fear of being controlled or harmed. To feel safe, they claim autonomy and stand strong for themselves and others. Eights tend to be decisive, direct, and confident types. They can be self-reliant, confrontational, and magnanimous. "The world is harsh—I’ll stay strong so I won’t be hurt."
Naturally takes charge and commands respect
Instinctively spots power dynamics in every situation
Serious about control over the environment
Struggles to show vulnerability—strength is their armor
Black-and-white in judgments, yet surprisingly tender to trusted few
Fiercely independent, stubborn, and self-sufficient
Fiercely passionate and loyal once trust is earned
Center of Intelligence: Body/Gut
Core Fear: Being controlled, harmed, or at the mercy of others
Core Motivation: To be independent, strong, and have autonomy
Growth Path: From armored intensity → open-hearted strength
Type Nine – The Peaceful Mediator
Type Nines are easygoing, receptive, and harmony-driven, often merging with others to avoid conflict. Their fear of disconnection or disharmony makes them downplay their own priorities to maintain peace. Nines tend to appear steady but feel emotional or anxious. They can be accepting, complacent, gentle, stubborn, and avoidant. "If I stay calm and keep the peace, everything will be okay."
Senses the energy in a room and diffuses conflict with ease
Goes with the flow, often blending into others’ agendas
Numbs discomfort with tasks, distractions, or daydreaming
Possesses quiet wisdom—sees many sides of a situation
Struggles to assert their own preferences or desires
Underestimates their own importance but uplifts others effortlessly
At their best, a grounded presence that includes everyone. At their worst, passive-aggressive, moody, and stubborn
Center of Intelligence: Body/Gut
Core Fear: Loss of connection, conflict, or fragmentation
Core Motivation: To preserve peace, harmony, and inner stability
Growth Path: From self-forgetting → authentic self-assertion